JI'NAN, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A comatose Chinese bus driver in east China's Shandong province has tugged at heartstrings around the nation for managing to protect passengers while he was having a stroke.

Since being transferred to the No 2 Hospital of Shandong University on March 9, Song Yang, a 34-year-old driver for a highway transport company, has remained in a coma and dependent on a respirator.

Song experienced a sudden brain hemorrhage while he was driving a long-distance bus carrying 33 passengers on a highway in Chiping County on the morning of March 9. He managed to slow down and park in the highway's breakdown lane, then tried his best to pull the handbrake and turn on the hazard lights.

"When the bus stopped, I found the driver had lost some consciousness and had great difficulty speaking," recalled Xiao Jiyan, a passenger on the bus.

All the passengers were safe, and Song was immediately rushed to a local hospital and then transferred to the No. 2 Hospital. Song's condition is worrisome, because his kidney function and brain damage have worsened, said Ma Cheng'en, a doctor at the hospital.

Song's story quickly spread online.

"Song Yang moved us greatly. We know what professional ethics and responsibilities are," wrote "Qi-A" on Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like microblogging service.

Another Sina Weibo user urged Song to "come to life," adding that the driver could surely create a "miracle."

While many have left prayers and good wishes for Song on their microblogs, netizen "Dengjiamonier," who sings in bars in real life, recorded a song for Song, wishing him a speedy recovery.

Many have observed a decay in morality amid China's social transformation, and the country is currently advancing the construction of the socialist core value system and working to inspire the nation to pursue socialist morality.

The Internet-based outpouring of affection and positive thoughts for Song started just days after the country observed "Lei Feng Day," which falls on March 5 every year to commemorate the nation's most famous Good Samaritan.

Lei, a young Chinese soldier in the 1960s, is known for devoting almost all of his spare time and money to selflessly helping the needy. He died after being hit by a falling pole while helping a fellow soldier direct a truck on Aug 15, 1962.